Lion O and Cheetara: Tales of Thundera
by SakuBloss
Summary: Short tales of Lion-O and Cheetara's adventures together. 2011 series. Part 7 Up!
1. Comfort

**Disclaimer** - I do not own **ThunderCats** (2011) or its characters. They are owned by Warner Bros. and Studio 4°C

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><p><em><strong>~Comfort~<strong>**  
><strong>_

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><p>He found her sitting alone under a massive tree, the broken lamp that had once held Jaga's disembodied spirit clutched tightly in her arms.<p>

Lion-O slowly approached the woman who had in such a short time, become someone very important to him. They had been through so much together...seen so much...done so much with each other and the other ThunderCats, and it had cemented a bond between them.

But Lion-O wanted more from his bond with Cheetara. She made him feel...good...happy. In a way he had never truly been before. And right now she was hurting. And as Lord of the ThunderCats, their leader...and her friend...it was not within him to be able to watch her suffer like this without trying to help in some way, no matter how small. He didn't really know what he could say or do to comfort her, after having to watch her teacher and mentor sacrifice himself for them all...again...but he would do what he could to bring even the smallest amount of comfort to her.

"Cheetara..." Lion-O said softly as he settled down beside the saffron-haired young woman, and leaned his back up against the tree trunk next to her.

Cheetara's eyes which had been closed up until this point, flickered open slowly, and she turned her head slightly to look over at the young Lord of the ThunderCats.

They both stared at each in absolute silence for a few seconds before Cheetara once again closed her eyes, and leaned her head over so that it came to rest lightly against Lion-O's shoulder.

The young Lord let out a small breath he hadn't even known he'd been holding, as he slowly raised his arm and carefully slipped it around Cheetara's shoulders.

A small sniff drifted into the air around them, and Lion-O gently tightened his grip around the shoulders of the young woman who was quickly becoming his best friend.

"Jaga would be proud of all that you've done for the ThunderCats on our journey so far...done for me. He was a great man who loved us all, and did everything in his power to help us. He would want us to honour his memory by thinking of him in this way. We can cry for him, but let us also always remember him as the wonderful Cat he was. Jaga will continue to live on in all of our hearts, Cheetara. And most especially in yours. When you think of him from now on, do it with a smile on your face and in your heart, and love and warmth for the special, amazing Cat he was. Jaga would only want you to be happy," Lion-O said softly as he leaned his head against Cheetara's blond locks.

Cheetara's form against his began to shudder and shake lightly, and Lion-O realized that she was finally releasing all the hurt and sadness she'd bottled up deep inside, since Jaga's second and final sacrifice for them.

A warm arm slipped around his waist as Cheetara turned her body inwards towards his, and she buried her face against his chest.

"Thank you...Lion-O," Cheetara finally spoke in her softly-melodic voice, lightly thickened with tears.

Lion-O felt a soft smile pull up the corners of his lips, as he gave Cheetara's body against his a light squeeze. He then bent his head slightly forward and placed a small, light kiss against the softness of her hair.

He felt Cheetara shiver lightly in his arms once more, and just assumed it was a result of her releasing the last of her pent-up emotions.

"Anytime, Cheetara. I'll be here for you...anytime."

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><p><strong>Author's note<strong> - Really hope you all enjoyed this ^^

Please review! =3


	2. Belonging

**~Belonging~**

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><p>Cheetara breathed in a deep breath of air, and slowly exhaled it. She then took in another deep lungful of air, and slowly released it again through her lips. She repeated this slow, calming process of deeply breathing in and slowly exhaling out for a while, causing her body to become fully relaxed. Finally she opened her eyes which had been closed throughout her entire breathing exercise, and then reached out for and gently grasped her staff, which she had stood upright in the ground next to her.<p>

Moving with a grace and elegance that had been honed through many many years of training, Cheetara went through her early morning staff training and workout routine.

The air was crisp, and a very light mist still covered the world around her. There was no one else around in this small, quiet glade she had found and she wanted to take full advantage of that, before she and the other ThunderCats moved on in their search for the other lost stones of Thundera.

Unknown to Cheetara as she continued to move gracefully through her routine, she was being watched by bright, gentle blue eyes from a rock hidden in the light mist some distance away from her.

Lion-O had been awake when Cheetara had gotten up and walked off into the mist surrounding the campsite, and he had allowed his curiosity to get the better of him. He knew that she usually always went off in the very early hours of the day to train, and he himself had gotten into that habit as well. But for some reason this morning he just felt to follow along, and see what Cheetara did when she trained.

And now he found himself absolutely mesmerized...utterly transfixed by the stunning, graceful beauty before him. Cheetara used her staff to make spectacular thrusts, while also making amazing free-wheeling jumps and twists into the air. She moved with a grace and speed that left Lion-O completely unable to pull his eyes from her.

"Stunning, isn't she," a cocky, arrogant voice that Lion-O knew too well suddenly spoke up next to him.

Lion-O turned his head slightly so that he could take in Tygra's smirking face, before he huffed lightly and turned his attention back towards Cheetara...who was now missing from the glade before him.

Lion-O let out a small breath of annoyance, before he turned back to his brother.

"Yes Tygra, she is. Was there something else that you needed?" Lion-O asked as he turned and began making his way back to the campsite, which he was sure was where Cheetara had also gone back to.

Tygra quickly hurried after his little brother, and threw an arm around his shoulders. "Oh, come now little brother. I see how you were _admiring_ our fair Cheetara just now. You like her...dontcha?" Tygra asked, with a small leer on his lips.

Lion-O scowled and attempted to disentangle himself from his brother's arm, but Tygra only pulled him in tighter and whispered lightly into his ear.

"Ya know Lion-O, if you _really_ want Cheetara you better move fast...because I've decided that I'd like to..._pluck_ that pretty little flower myself."

Lion-O felt a wall of rage rise up within him, and with a surge of power he pushed his infuriating brother off and away from him. He then raised his hand and pointed it directly into Tygra's face.

"Don't you _ever_ speak of Cheetara that way again, you hear me! I don't care that you are my brother. I will knock the whiskers off of you, if you even breathe on a single strand of fur on her head," Lion-O said in a voice that had dropped to its lowest, most deadly-serious register.

Tygra just allowed his smirk to grow, before he raised his hands in a 'I surrender' motion.

"Calm down, calm down young Cub. I was only messing with you. Just wanted to see if you would stand up for your...woman. Glad to see you do...and with such ferocity!" Tygra laughed heartily as he reached forward, grabbed Lion-O around the neck, and rubbed his knuckles through Lion-O thick red mane of hair.

Lion-O protested and tugged and tried to pull away from his trouble-making brother, even as the tension that had formed in him snapped, and he found himself now laughing at his brother's antics.

_Tygra was an ass who used decidedly underhanded tactics to get the desired outcome he wanted_...but Lion-O had to admit to himself that his brother _had_ just opened his eyes to a very important point.

Cheetara _was_ 'his' woman...and no one...not his mostly-annoying, cocky brother...or anyone else on Thundera...was _ever_ going to take her away from him.

For Lion-O...Lord of the ThunderCats..._was in love with Cheetara._

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><p><strong>Author's note<strong> - Thank you all for your awesome response to the first story in this series! It really inspired me to get another story out for you guys sooner than planned =3

Please continue to read and review. I love hearing from you guys, and knowing what you think of my Lion/Cheetara stories ^.^_  
><em>


	3. Rebuild

**Author's Note** - I want to give all of you who have read these Lion-O/Cheetara stories of mine, my thanks. And an even deeper thanks to those who have taken the time to review ^^

I will admit I received a pretty harsh review for my last chapter, calling my L/C stories insipid, bashing, and OC, and it did affect me. I do try my best to keep all the characters _in_-character, and I wasn't trying to bash Tygra in the last chapter at all. I portrayed him as the new series does. As an older brother who gives Lion-O a hard time often, but always has his younger brother's best interests at heart. I'm not sure what to say about my stories being 'insipid', but then I read everyone else's reviews and realized that there _are_ many of you who _do_ enjoy my stories, and that is all that really matters. That I enjoy what I write, and that there are others who enjoy my stories as well. So once again, thank you for reading ^.^

I hope you all enjoy this new chapter~ =3

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><p><strong>~Rebuild~<strong>

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><p>Cheetara laughed happily as she dipped her hands back down into the cool water of the spring she was standing in, and raised them back up to splash WilyKit and WilyKat, who both immediately retaliated with splashes of their own as they giggled and laughed happily.<p>

They had found this spring running along the forest they were traveling by in the ThunderTank, and a unanimous decision had been made to take a short break for everyone to wash off and get a nice, cold drink from the spring.

WilyKit and WilyKat had of course almost immediately started a water fight once their feet had hit the water, and Lion-O and Cheetara had playfully gone along with the splash war. Tygra had immediately moved out of the way of the water projectiles, and sat himself down on the spring's bank to just enjoy the warm sunshine on his fur, as his feet cooled in the water.

Panthro sat on a large boulder near the spring, while chewing on a stalk he'd picked up by his feet. It wasn't often these days for all of them to be able to enjoy such a quiet, peaceful morning and they all wanted to take full advantage of it while they could.

Lion-O finally came out of the water laughing, even though his fur was completely soaked with water, and plopped himself down on the rock by Panthro's side.

Panthro raised his eyebrow slightly at his young King, but continued contemplatively chewing his stalk.

Lion-O continued to quietly sit by Panthro's side, a small smile playing along his lips as he watched Cheetara and the Kits continue to laugh and splash each other.

"She's pretty amazing, isn't she?" Lion-O finally said softly, with an almost wistful note in his voice.

Panthro paused in his chewing to look over at his young King, before looking back forward to continue chewing as he waited for Lion-O to say more.

"I mean she's so brave, ya know. And strong. And fast too. Oh boy, is she fast," Lion-O laughed lightly, and Panthro felt a small smile tug up the corner of his lips, as he patiently waited for Lion-O to continue.

"And she's so...so compassionate," Lion-O continued softly as his bright, blue eyes continued to trace Cheetara's lithe form. "She cares about us all so much...about our well-being. She makes me feel like I'm the most important and special Cat in the world. Every word I say or everything I do, she's there to support me on. I've never...I've never felt such loyalty...or care...from another female Cat before...at least...not since my mother," Lion-O said, as his voice dropped into an even softer tone. "I don't remember much about my mother...I was so young when...when she...went away. But I imagine...that my mother would have liked Cheetara," Lion-O finished as he raised his hand, and surreptitiously wiped away a stray bit of water from the corners of his eyes.

Panthro continued to sit in thoughtful silence, and pretended he didn't see Lion-O wiping at his eyes, giving his young King time to properly compose himself. When Panthro thought Lion-O was settled once again, the older Cat finally spoke. He slowly took the piece of stalk out of his mouth, and turned his grizzled face towards the younger Cat, and gave him one of his very rare, full-toothed smiles.

"I remember your Mother, young Lion-O. A more beautiful, loving, and caring Cat there never was. Your Father was absolutely smitten with her, and she brought joy to all those who came into contact with her. And for the record...I believe she would have liked Cheetara as well. So go for it, young King Lion-O. After all, every King needs his Queen," Panthro finished with a small wink in Lion-O's direction, causing the cerulean-eyed King to blush lightly. Panthro grinned again and stuck the stalk back into his mouth to continue chewing, and they both quietly continued watching their small family play and relax by the spring.

One didn't always choose the family they had. There is the family you are born into, and the family you form through different circumstances and situations. Lion-O had lost most of the family he was born into but on this quiet, cool morning surrounded by the laughter, happy cries, contemplative silence, and relaxed humming of all the ThunderCats that still surrounded him, Lion-O experienced a moment of perfect happiness and quiet joy.

He would choose his Queen one day, and together along with this small family they had formed, they would rebuild the ThunderCat Kingdom. As Lord of the ThunderCats, Lion-O _swore_ to himself in this quiet moment that he would do it.

He would rebuild his Kingdom and his home.

And he would ask Cheetara someday...to become his Queen.

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><p><strong>AN<strong> - Hope you all enjoyed. Please review~ =3


	4. Resolutions

**~Resolutions~**

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><p>"Cheetara! Cheetara! Get up, quick! We <em>have<em> to get out of here! Come on Cheetara, _please_ don't do this to me...please get up," Lion-O begged in a half-broken voice as he gently gathered the unmoving Cheetara up into his strong arms and made a mad dash with her, dodging and weaving through all the explosions that were going off around them, as he raced towards a small cave opening in the mountain before him.

The Lizards had taken them all by surprise.

They had set a trap, laying in wait to spring a major ambush on the ThunderCats. During the fighting Lion-O and Cheetara had gotten separated from the rest of the ThunderCats. And to think they had all been enjoying a quiet, peaceful morning by the spring just that morning.

Lion-O and Cheetara had fought and defended themselves as best they could, but Cheetara had gotten injured. She had flung herself selflessly before an attack meant for Lion-O, and the young Lord of the ThunderCats had had to watch the woman he loved go down for him.

He had immediately rushed to her side even amidst the still raging battle, and now he was running at full speed, just trying to escape quickly enough to save both their lives. He had sworn on that same day that he had watched his friend Emrick live, grow old, and die before him that he would _never_ run away again. That he would _always_ stand and fight for what he believed in and the people he wanted to protect.

But right now all Lion-O wanted to do was get Cheetara to safety. He couldn't protect her by standing and fighting to his own death. He had also learned since that fateful day that he had met Emrick, that sometimes it was prudent and wise to fall back. To not always simply throw yourself into the heat of the battle, especially when there may not be a way to win.

Lion-O had learned that sometimes it was better to run and escape, and live to fight another day.

Which is exactly what he did now as he made a flying leap that allowed him to clear the entrance of the cave, just as a massive explosion went off behind him. The explosion rocked the dark cave around him and as Lion-O lay on the dusty floor of the cave, with Cheetara's still-unmoving body held tightly in his arms, rocks began falling from the top of the cave entrance and sealed the two ThunderCats inside.

**~o~o~o~**

Cheetara slowly opened her eyes, groaning in pain as a intense throbbing filled her head, and she found it difficult to move her limbs. She slowly blinked her eyes to try to remove the slight haze that filled her vision, and was met with a sight that never failed to take her breath away.

Lion-O, her King and also her best friend, was sitting in front of a small fire, gently poking it morosely with a stick. Cheetara opened her mouth to call out to him, but all that came out was a loud and painful cough. Lion-O's brilliant-blue eyes that Cheetara would sometimes find herself just staring endlessly into, immediately shifted her way and Lion-O was by her side in an instant with intense worry clouding his face.

"Cheetara..." Lion-O said softly, as he reached down and gently stroked his rough finger down the side of her face. Cheetara found herself leaning immediately into his touch. She then allowed her eyes to close, as a sudden lethargy hit her body.

"Cheetara? Cheetara? Cheetara, oh please stay with me! Don't go away again..." Lion-O trailed off softly, as Cheetara's body once again slumped into utter stillness. He then sadly and worriedly gathered her prone form gently into his arms, pressed his back up against the side of the cave wall, and carefully held her in his arms against his body.

**~o~o~o~**

The next time Cheetara opened her eyes she found herself in an upright position, and she realized with a small start that she was being held up in Lion-O's strong arms. Cheetara found herself blushing slightly, but she made no move to try to leave Lion-O's tight-yet-gentle embrace, and settled herself more comfortably against him.

"I'm glad to see that you're awake again," a rumbly voice whispered right into her ear, causing Cheetara to shiver slightly. She nodded, and then felt Lion-O gently pull her closer against him.

"I was...I was...so worried, Cheetara. You got hurt...for me...and then I couldn't get you to wake up...I was so...scared..." Cheetara heard Lion-O say in a voice that shook with a multitude of emotions. She could hear worry, more than likely for her, in his voice. As well as fear, also probably for her safety and well-being. But there was also anger in his voice, and she didn't think that was for her. Lion-O sounded angry...with himself. He was probably thinking that he should have been stronger...faster... that he should have protected her better than he had.

_Such a silly Lord of the ThunderCats,_ Cheetara thought to herself with a soft smile, as she reached down with her hand and gently took Lion-O's rough, sword-calloused hand into hers and gave it a light squeeze.

"Lion-O, thank you for bringing me to safety. _Please_ don't blame yourself, or ask questions that can never be answered like "what if?" I did what I did because I _chose_ to. You are my King, and I would lay down my life for you a thousand times over. And we _both_ made it out of that fight alive, and that's thanks to you, Lion-O. I'm not sure where we are right now, but it's obviously somewhere safe from all the fighting, and _you_ brought us to this place," Cheetara said softly as she gave Lion-O's hand another gentle squeeze.

"Yeah, we got caught in a small cave-in that actually probably ended up saving our lives. The cave-in stopped the Mutants from pursuing us into the cave, and when I followed it all the way to the end it actually let us out on the other side of the mountain. I've already sent the 'ThunderCats Call' and so the others should be here soon to pick us up. I then gathered up some broken tree branches to make a small fire, and have been waiting for you to wake up ever since," Lion-O replied as he leaned his face down, and lightly nuzzled his nose against the soft fur at Cheetara's neck.

Cheetara found herself shivering slightly again at Lion-O's touch, and Lion-O abruptly pulled his face back away from her neck, with a light blush staining his cheeks at what he had been doing.

"So ahh...Cheetara...before the others get here, there was something...something I wanted to tell you..." Lion-O fumbled slightly over his words as he swallowed hard, and tried once again to properly form the words that could potentially change both their lives. He had just almost lost the woman he loved, and it could have happened in the blink of an eye. Lion-O was now _determined_ to let Cheetara know how he felt about her, because he now realized that the opportunity could be taken away from him at any time.

Cheetara felt her body tense in sudden anticipation of what Lion-O was about to tell her, and she waited with bated breath for him to continue.

"Cheetara...ahh...Cheetara...I just wanted to tell you that I...well...that I...uhh...that I..."

"Hey! Lion-O! Cheetara! Are you guys in there! Come out come out wherever you are!" the young, playful and excited voice of WilyKit called out from the exit of the cave, which caused Lion-O to immediately clamp his mouth shut to stop what he'd been about to confess.

Cheetara felt her body sag in disappoint at what she may have possibly heard from Lion-O, but then she let a smile cross her lips as she gave Lion-O's hand a reassuring squeeze.

Lion-O looked down at the brave, beautiful woman he held in his arms, and also put aside his disappointment that the moment he had been about to use to confess his feelings to Cheetara had slipped away, and he gently squeezed her hand back. Lion-O then slowly rose to his feet, still gently cradling Cheetara in his arms, and began walking towards the cave exit where he knew the rest of his ThunderCat family was waiting for them.

_I'll get my chance to tell her how I feel again someday soon, _Lion-O resolved to himself as he walked._ And when I do I'll also ask her a very, very important question._

_I'll ask Cheetara...to become my Queen._

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><p><strong>Author's Note<strong> - Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please review to let me know what you all thought of it =D_  
><em>


	5. Sparring

**Author's note** - So funny story, I actually wrote out this lil chapter about 3 days before the newest ThunderCats episode premiered. And wouldn't you know it, the newest ep was mainly all about Lion-O and Tygra 'fighting it out' with each other. But the ep took the route of showcasing when the 'rivalry' between the two brothers finally begins to sour. While this short chapter that I wrote shows that rivalry still being playful and light. I contemplated for a while whether I should change the chapter to better parallel the new, more serious tone of the ep. But I finally decided to let this chapter remain as a kind of 'final time' the two brothers are ever this friendly and playful with each other, in terms of 'competing' against one another for the the things they both want and desire...like Cheetara =p

Anywhoos! Enough of my author rambling, I'll let you all get onto the actual chapter =p

Enjoy! ^.^

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><p><strong>~Sparring~<br>**

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><p>"You've had this coming for a while now, Tygra," Lion-O spoke softly as he slowly circled his older brother, while lightly twirling the Sword of Omens in his hand.<p>

"Not as much as you've had it coming, oh dear brother of mine," Tygra replied as he circled counter to Lion-O, while pulling his bola whip taut between his hands.

A small smirk played along the corners of Lion-O's lips, as he stopped circling to stand firm and then pointed the sword at his brother.

"Oh it's on now, Tygra! You _know_ what the stakes are in this match, so let's see you defend against _this_!" Lion-O cried out as he rushed his brother, sword held high, and his muscled arms flexed to strike out.

Tygra laughed merrily, before he snapped his whip down and vanished into thin air.

Lion-O immediately halted his charge, and looked around in exasperation for his brother.

"You _know_ you're cheating when you do that, right?" Lion-O called out as he slowly looked around for his brother, while stepping carefully as he prepared himself to leap out of the way of his brother's impeding attack.

Another laugh came from somewhere behind Lion-O, and he let out a loud cry as he spun around and swung his sword.

~x~x~x~x~x~

"So, what are the two of them doing out there," Cheetara asked curiously, as she came and sat down next to WilyKit and WilyKat, who were sitting on a rock eating their favourite new snack...Candy Fruit. Cheetara wasn't sure the twins should really have taken those two bags full to the brim of the addictive fruit, after they'd left the Robear Berbil community. But she _really_ didn't want to be the one to attempt to take the fruits away from the twins...and possibly lose a finger or two.

"Oh, they're fighting to win your affections," WilyKat responded in a wired, high-pitched voice as he took another huge bite out of the colourful fruit he had in his hand.

Cheetara nodded once as her eyes followed the lines of Lion-O and Tygra's bodies, as they exchanged strikes and blows with their weapons against each other...until the words WilyKat had just spoken fully registered into her mind, and her head snapped back quickly towards the older Wily.

"They're doing _what_!" Cheetara cried out as she turned blazing, wine-coloured eyes back towards the two sparring brothers.

"They're doing what, what! I didn't say anything!" WilyKat exclaimed, high as a kite as he jumped up to his feet. He then turned and ran towards the ThunderTank, with WilyKit following along behind him laughing hysterically.

Cheetara shook her head with a small, exasperated and indulgent smile on her face, as she lightly muttered under her breath, "kids." And that one word to her encompassed the two Candy Fruit-addicted kids, and the two who were apparently 'fighting' for her affections down in the open field below her.

Cheetara shook her head once again in amusement, before she settled herself down and continued to watched 'the boys' playfully strike and attack each other...all while betting on the Cat with the beautiful, bright-blue eyes to be the one who eventually won her heart.

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><p>Thank you all who have taken the time to read, and especially to those who reviewed! Your words help inspire me to create more stories about our fave pairing, Lion-O and Cheetara! =D<p>

Please R&R =3


	6. Heartache

**Author's Note** - This is my answer to that...heartbreaking last ThunderCat's episode. Hope you all like ^^

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><p><strong>Heartache<strong>

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><p>Lion-O couldn't <em>believe<em> what his eyes were showing him...he didn't _want_ to believe what they were showing him...Cheetara was _willingly_ kissing Tygra.

Lion-O didn't wait around to watch anymore...he turned around and fled from the heartbreaking, heart-wrenching sight being displayed before him. He ran and ran with tears streaming from his sorrow-filled, bright-blue eyes which he tried unsuccessfully to wipe away as he kept moving. He eventually came to a small area far away from where everyone else was celebrating, and took a seat on a small boulder hidden beneath a small tree, covered with twining vines.

There he dropped his face into his hands, and finally allowed the sorrow and heartache to flow freely, as the tears he'd been trying so hard to fight ran down his furred face.

Lion-O didn't know how long he sat out there by himself feeling utterly miserable, hurt, sad...and betrayed. But eventually he felt a light touch on his shoulder, which made him twirl around quickly, as he was absolutely **_not_** in the mood to deal with either his brother...or..._her_.

"Hiya...Lion-O...umm...WilyKit and I just wanted to share a bit of our Candy Fruit with you...to you know...maybe help you feel a little better," WilyKat said with a small, hopeful smile as he stood near Lion-O, and held out the fruit in his small hands. WilyKit stood quietly beside her brother, with her small hands clutched tightly beneath her chin, and a soft worried look in her eyes as she looked at Lion-O. The two Wily twins had also seen what had happened between Tygra and Cheetara, and though they were younger than the rest of the ThunderCats, they were 'old enough' to know that there had been a _serious_ love-triangle going on between their fellow ThunderCats, and Lion-O just gotten his heart broken.

Lion-O let a small smile of gratitude tug up the corners of his lips, as he reached out to take the fruit from WilyKat. WilyKat smiled back happily that Lion-O had taken his and his sister's small offer of comfort. He then nodded and gently took WilyKit's hand, so they could leave and let Lion-O have a bit more time to himself.

Lion-O gently put the fruit down by his feet and continued to sit quietly by himself, nursing the ball of hurt and pain that had formed in his stomach that wouldn't go away.

"Heya kiddo, how ya doing?" Panthro's gruff voice suddenly spoke up out of the darkness, and the now-damaged older ThunderCat came by and sat a bit awkwardly next to Lion-O on the boulder. Life without arms was going to be difficult, Panthro wryly realized, as even trying to sit down now took a bit more concentrated effort, because his center of gravity was now off.

"Hey, Panthro. I'm doing...alright. Though what I'm feeling can't really be compared to what you must be feeling right now," Lion-O said with a remorseful expression on his face, as he looked over at the places where Panthro's arms used to be.

Panthro's lips pulled back into a wide, feral grin and he grunted out," worth it. I'd do it again a thousand times over. And I'll be alright. It'll take more than this to keep this old Cat down." Panthro gave Lion-O a small wink to show that he really was okay, and Lion-O gave him a weak smile back in return.

Lion-O then let out a deep sigh, and looked up at the stars twinkling high above him, and just wondered quietly to himself what was going to happen next? Where did they all go from here? His small, rag-tag group of ThunderCats were now mentally and physically scarred from this long journey they were on.

Lion-O took in another deep breath and slowly released it, and decided that for now he would go on as he always had. As the Lord of the ThunderCats, who was leading his fellow ThunderCats in their quest to restore their way of life. That was all he _could_ allow himself to focus on right now. If he allowed his mind and heart to wander...to her...and what she'd done...**no**...he'd focus _only_ on the mission ahead for now.

And hope that one day soon...he'd receive the answer to his now-broken heart's burning question...

Will Cheetara ever truly one day...love _him_?


End file.
